Top Posts
Report shows Nigeria lost N700bn agricultural investment in...
NEMA partners NSCDC to address election, flood emergencies
UAE oil company employees given roles in office...
Don says fossil fuel responsible for environmental pollution...
Minnesota Senate passes 100% carbon-free by 2040 electricity...
Wildfires consume over 750 hectares of land in...
Renewable Energy: Colombia to get $70m from Climate...
Saudi Arabia signs MoU with France on Energy...
Report shows Green projects are boosting UK economic...
Russia: EU’s embargo on oil products to destabilise...
EcoNai Newsroom
  • Newsround
  • Nigeria
  • Africa
  • World
World

Study: Climate change causing high tree mortality in Southern Amazon

by admineconai March 1, 2022
written by admineconai March 1, 2022

A new study undertaken by a team of Brazilian and British scientists has discovered that extreme wind and water deficiency are the main causes of tree death in the southern Amazon.

The research which was published this week in the Journal of Ecology is the first to evaluate large-scale causes of tree mortality across the southern Amazon rainforest using tree-by-tree data.

The study showed that more than 70% of all trees dying at the edge of the Amazon rainforest already had severely broken and damaged crowns due to climate change years before they died, a significantly higher percentage than other regions in the Amazon.

Read also: Over 200 nations approve UN report on accelerating climate change impact

Additionally, the study showed that the proportion of trees that die broken in this area is more than anywhere else in the Amazon—roughly 54%.

To undertake the study, researchers from the University of Leeds, University of Oxford and State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT) in Brazil investigated the death of almost 15,000 trees from 19 study plots distributed across remaining forests at the southern edge of the Amazon.

According to the study, the region is the driest, hottest, and most fragmented in the Amazon and has recently experienced several severe droughts.

Co-author of the study, professor Oliver Phillips from the University of Leeds School of Geography said, “Individual trees with low wood density have the greatest risk of dying, but such species-level properties do not explain the extreme mortality these forests experience as a whole.

Speaking further, he said, “Rather, the damage caused by climate extremes—especially wind and drought—places exceptional stress on southern Amazon trees.”

The lead author of the study, Dr Simone Matias Reis from UNEMAT said, “Crown breakage hugely increases the risk of tree death. Once broken, the risk of death is much higher, especially when a large part of the tree canopy is broken.

He noted that the growth of broken trees is also affected, as these trees lose the capacity to photosynthesize and so take up less carbon, which in turn increases the risk of death.

Researchers are of the view that the significant impact of climatic water deficits on mortality raises concerns because of climate modelling studies predicting more intense and prolonged seasonality for the Amazon jungle, which may result in high and unprecedented mortality rates for trees of the Southern edge region.

Story was adapted from Phys.Org.

AmazonClimate changeTree mortality
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
admineconai

previous post
UK Govt publishes third climate change risk assessment
next post
IPCC report shows over 3 billion people vulnerable to climate change

Related Posts

UAE oil company employees given roles in office...

February 4, 2023

Minnesota Senate passes 100% carbon-free by 2040 electricity...

February 4, 2023

Renewable Energy: Colombia to get $70m from Climate...

February 3, 2023

Saudi Arabia signs MoU with France on Energy...

February 3, 2023

Report shows Green projects are boosting UK economic...

February 3, 2023

Russia: EU’s embargo on oil products to destabilise...

February 3, 2023

Nigerdock reduces CO2 emissions, switches to renewable energy

February 3, 2023

Environmental groups to sue Shell cracker plant in...

February 3, 2023

Study shows air pollution makes chess player error-prone

February 3, 2023

U.S. Energy Department Wades Into the Gas Stove...

February 3, 2023

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Social Connect

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Youtube Snapchat Vimeo

Recent Posts

  • Report shows Nigeria lost N700bn agricultural investment in 2022 to flooding

    February 4, 2023
  • NEMA partners NSCDC to address election, flood emergencies

    February 4, 2023
  • Don says fossil fuel responsible for environmental pollution in Nigeria

    February 4, 2023
  • Nigerian University collaborates with biogas companies to provide clean energy solutions

    February 3, 2023
  • NGO urges stakeholders to support communities affected by climate change

    February 3, 2023

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Bloglovin
  • Vimeo

@2021 - All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by Eco-Nai+

EcoNai Newsroom
  • Newsround
  • Nigeria
  • Africa
  • World